Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives 2018
Distributed by Film Movement
Produced by Omnibus Entertainment
Directed by Jim Brown
Streaming, 63 mins
High School - General Adult
Activism; Biography; Documentaries; Feminism; Folk Music; Gay Liberation Movement; Protest Movements; Women's Rights
Date Entered: 11/05/2019
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Independent Scholar and Librarian, Valparaiso, INThis documentary film highlights the life and career of Holly Near (1949- ), activist, singer-songwriter, actress, feminist, and LGBTQ supporter. Following a number of roles in 1970s movies and TV, along with stints in early folk and pop groups, Near dedicated her life and music to issues such as feminism, LGBTQ rights, and anti-war protests.
Interviews are interspersed throughout the movie with well-known figures such as Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Kevin Bacon, and many others. A number of concert and rally scenes featuring Near's music and speeches frame much of the conversation and discussion around her message and her activism. An excellent film for classes centered on the 1960s and 1970s rise of folk music and political activism.